The talk will give an overview of the various problems and challenges in Nuclear Security, and will focus on two topic areas: Monochromatic Cargo Interrogation and Zero Knowledge Detection.
The Monochromatic program pursues the use of various nuclear interactions, such as 11B(d,n gamma)12C, to produce monochromatic sources for interrogating cargo containers for the presence of nuclear weapons and nuclear materials. The use of monochromatic sources would significantly reduce the necessary dose and allow for better determination of the cargo’s atomic number.
The Zero Knowledge Verification program uses nuclear resonance fluorescence(NRF) to take measurements of nuclear warheads that would validate their authenticity without disclosing classified information. This technology would enable treaties which strive to significantly reduce the current nuclear weapons arsenals.